Linda Carman

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Heart Warming Winter Crisps

When I was growing up, our food consumption followed the seasons. We had strawberry shortcake in the spring, peach cobbler in the summer and apple pie in the fall. Now a days we have fruits and vegetables available to us from all over the world, the farm to table movement has made us more aware of the beauty of seasonal eating. You not only get better flavor, but seasonal produce is usually a better value, too.

Traditional winter fruit desserts were usually made from apples, pears, pumpkin, nuts or dried fruit. Apples and pears lend themselves to pies, cobblers, crisps and crumbles. Crisps are easier to make than pies and cobblers, but provide a lot of the same comforting pleasure. Made with fresh apples, this delectable Cumberland Apple Crisp features a buttery topping of brown sugar, oats and pecans.

In addition to fresh fruit, we are lucky to have the availability of many quality frozen and canned fruits that can also be used in the winter. Cherry Berry Crisp is a good example of how pie filling and frozen fruit can be combined to create a delicious filling. In this recipe, cherry pie filling and frozen blueberries team up under a topping of Martha White® WildBerry Flavored Muffin Mix, oats, brown sugar, and butter. Either one of these comforting crisps will be a welcome treat on a cold winter night topped with ice cream or whipped cream.